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Sylvia Ann Hewlett learned her first lesson in executive presence at age 17 when she was trying to get into one of Great Britain’s premium colleges.

Born into what she says was the “wrong background” for those schools, and cursed with the double whammy of being both Welsh and working class, Hewlett nonetheless had fantastic grades and had passed the tough entrance exams to get into Oxford. Then came the interviews. Hewlett and her well-meaning mum went shopping and selected a tweed suit with a fox collar (complete with head, claws and all) that they thought would make the 17-year-old look like Oxford material. The interview turned into a disaster, but for her Cambridge interview, Hewlett (who sensed her first outfit raised eyebrows) went shopping solo and chose a simple pleated skirt and sweater. She got in.

That’s just one way appearance, and the other ways that people present themselves including how much they smile, are a crucial part of success in business, according to Hewlett who is the founder of New York-based think tank the Center for Talent Innovation and a business author. We asked her some questions via email about her new book, Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success(Harper Business, June 3, 2014), including advice for entrepreneurs about how to command a room.

Let’s start off with a simple question: What do you mean by executive presence, and in what ways does it make actual merit less relevant?

Executive presence (EP) is a measure of image—a dynamic mix of gravitas (how you act), communication (how you speak) and appearance (how you look). It is a combination of confidence, poise, and authenticity that convinces the rest of us that we’re in the presence of someone who is going places. Your accomplishments and merits are always relevant. It is expected that leaders are top performers and are hitting all of the numbers. Executive presence is what signals you are a leader.

After getting an MA in journalism from Syracuse University, Teresa worked as a general assignment newspaper reporter—general on purpose because besides the usual city hall and police articles, there was the chance to fly an F-18 with the Blue Angels and tag along with bounty hunters on a stakeout—all good preparation for covering entrepreneurs.

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